Ohio Breweries by Rick Armon

The Brew Kettle in Strongsville continued its recent string of strong showings in beer competitions this weekend at the Cleveland Labor Day Oktoberfest. The brewery took home the "best of show" first-place award for its Smoked Maerzen in the festival's microbrew competition. The other best of show winners were Gordon Biersch Schwarzbier, second, and Goose Island Summertime Ale, third. Other winners included Great Lakes Brewing in Cleveland, Thirsty Dog Brewing in Akron, Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon in North Olmsted, Black Box Brewing in Westlake, Ohio Brewing in Akron and Cellar Rats Brewery in Madison. The breakdown by category and beer can be found by clicking here. There were 53 overall entries in the microbrew competition, more than twice as many as the previous year, according to the festival website. The Oktoberfest continues today and Monday. Click here for more details.